Many men have a secret monster in this same manner, a dragon which gnaws them, a despair which inhabits their night. Such a man resembles other men, he goes and comes. No one knows that he bears within him a frightful parasitic pain with a thousand teeth, which lives within the unhappy man, and of which he is dying. No one knows that this man is a gulf. He is stagnant but deep. From time to time, a trouble of which the onlooker understands nothing appears on his surface. A mysterious wrinkle is formed, then vanishes, then re-appears; an air-bubble rises and bursts. It is the breathing of the unknown beast.
In Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," the author explores the hidden inner turmoil that many men endure. He likens this suffering to a monstrous dragon that quietly gnaws at their souls, inflicting despair that is unknown to those around them. These men live outwardly normal lives, but underneath lies a profound, invisible anguish that they carry alone. This pain is described as a parasitic force, relentlessly causing distress and ultimately leading them toward despair.
The imagery of the "gulf" suggests that while these men may appear stagnant on the surface, they harbor deep emotional struggles that remain unseen. Their experiences may occasionally manifest outwardly through subtle changes or expressions of distress, resembling the surface disturbances of water disturbed by an unseen force below. This description captures the essence of their concealed suffering and the complexity of human emotion, revealing the unseen battles that many silently fight.
